Brittney + Family Portraits - Trow Bridge

It’s always fun to photograph family. My niece Brittney wanted some new photos of her three kids, so I of course found some time to do so. Brittney hadn’t been to Trow Bridge since high school so it was the perfect spot. Plus, it allowed the kids to just run around and have fun. Let’s just say the majority of the photos were candids. All in all, it was a super fun session. Any chance I get to hangout with family is more than welcome.

Laura + Georgia Family Portraits - Trow Bridge Falls

My first of two portrait sessions of the day was with my recent contest winner, Laura, and her daughter Georgia. Last week I did a Facebook promotion giving away a free 1 hour portrait package. I still can’t believe the response I got for the contest and in the end, Laura and her daughter were randomly drawn. I really lucked out too because they were so much fun to photograph. 

I recommended Trow Bridge Falls as the location because I thought it would be the perfect winter location, with the rapids still running and a bit of snow on the ground. Laura mentioned that the last time she was there was when she was a teenager. So it had be a long time! Her daughter Georgia was just a ball of energy. She was laughing and running pretty much the whole session. I am completely used to running around chasing kids during sessions, so it was nothing new for me, and plus, I enjoy it so much. 

I made the mistake of mentioning a small playground I wanted to check out at the end of the session. Georgia kept asking to go to while were taking photos. Lesson learned I guess. Trow Bridge has a lot of great spots and we started in the playground itself where Georgia was immediately climbing the monkey bars and eventually the slide. She even got her mom up on the monkey bars too. These types of sessions are my favourite because it is just me capturing moments. 

With that being said, I still wanted to get some ‘posed’ photos here and there. We made our way to the trail across the bridge and eventually down to the water. It didn’t take very long for Georgia to be comfortable with me too. It got to the point where she was coming up with names to call me. Some of them were quite creative. Of course, I had to give it back a little, which only made her want to do it more. She also went through a snorting phase where she sounded like a little pig for about 10 minutes. The smiles and natural expressions that came from those moments was priceless though. 

Before we ended the session I made sure to quickly take Laura and Georgia to the small playground I mentioned. I think Georgia was expecting something a bit different but she still had some fun trying to climb up the slide. The last few photos I took were just along the tree line near the parking lot and one of my favourite photos from the session was actually the very last one I took. Laura was carrying Georgia up the hill and I got them to stop for a split second and got a great candid portrait of the two of them. It goes to show you, don’t ever stop shooting until the session is completely over. 

A huge thank you to Laura and her daughter for letting me spend an amazing hour with them!

Cydney + Tyler Engagement - Trow Bridge Falls

My latest engagement session was kind of a unique one because Cydney and Tyler were visiting Thunder Bay for a couple days from Minnesota. They decided to hire me to take their engagement photos while on vacation, in a city they had never been before. How cool is that!? Suffice it to say, I jumped at the opportunity. 

The next step was deciding on a location that would wow them. After all, I wanted to make sure they saw some of the beauty Thunder Bay had to offer. I thought Trow Bridge would be a good location for that. It has the beautiful trails and amazing rapids. 

As with most couples I meet for the first time, they were a bit nervous for the beginning of the session but that quickly faded. Aside from choosing the locations in the park and a little bit of direction, Cydney and Tyler were so easy to photograph. 

During the session I gave them some ideas for spots to explore in Thunder Bay so hopefully they took me up on some of them. I know they weren't in Thunder Bay for too long but I'm so honoured that they chose me to capture such a special occasion. 

Jayme + Charlie Engagement - Trow Bridge Falls

Jayme and Charlie's wedding day isn't until next year but that didn't mean we could take advantage of this great Fall weather and get out for an engagement session. That's exactly what we decided to do! The location they chose was Trow Bridge Falls, which couldn't have been a more perfect setting. With the leaves slowly falling and the water flowing it provided a fantastic backdrop. It also helped that I had such wonderful couple to work with.

They mentioned that Charlie originally proposed at Niagara Falls while they lived in Southern Ontario, so, since they have recently moved back home to Thunder Bay, they figured it was fitting to do the engagement photos at some local Falls. 

It was an hour session so we had plenty of time to try out different spots at Trow Bridge. The first area we used was the bridge overlooking the Falls. I have always loved that bridge and, if done right, it allows for some truly majestic photos. The reason I loved photographing Jayme and Charlie so much was because they were so natural in front of the camera. 

We eventually made our way down to the water and that's where they broke out the champagne. Jayme also brought a very nice blanket which was the perfect contrast to the backdrop. Suffice it to say, these were some of my favourite photos of the session. 

Just before we finished off, we took a moment to capture a few more photos on the swings and by the colourful forest. It was a perfect end to a beautiful engagement session. After meeting Jayme and Charlie, I'm even more excited to shoot their wedding next year. 

Alexa + Shawn Engagement - Trow Bridge Falls

After having such fun wedding last the other weekend, it was nice to keep things going with an engagement session with Alexa and Shawn. Their wedding is this October so the wedding is fast approaching but before that takes place we wanted to get some engagement photos done. The location of choice this time around was Trow Bridge Falls which is always beautiful this time of year. Along with it being an engagement session, I also got to meet their newest addition to the family, Kolter. He's only 14 weeks old if I remember correctly, but he was the perfect model.

We started the session near the playground in some open shade. I brought a couple blankets and after setting up, we got some great initial photos. Of course, Alexa and Shawn were extremely easy going and very natural to photograph. So even though we had a lot of 'posed' photos, I was still able to add a candid flair to some of the shots. 

Another great spot that we ended up using was the bridge crossing over the rapids. Just over the bridge was also a the beginning of the trails so we obviously captured some photos there as well. I don't usually come with too many 'props' to sessions but for this one we definitely wanted to have at least one variation which ended up being Alexa and Shawn's initials. I think a few of those shots will make the perfect wedding invite. 

Lastly, after a quick wardrobe change by Alexa, we made our way down to the water to finish off with a bunch of different photos. The hour went by so fast but at the end of the day, for an hour session they came away with 50 final photos. It was so great finally meeting Alexa and Shawn and I simply can't wait to shoot their wedding. 

Paul + Tracy Wedding - Kakabeka Falls

Last week, I had the opportunity to photograph a last minute wedding. I literally found out about 4 day prior. While I was shooting my niece, Brittney and her husband Adam's wedding, my brother asked if I could photograph his visiting relative's wedding. Of course, once I found out I had the time available I immediately said yes. Next thing you know, 4 days later, I was at Kakabeka Falls celebrating and shooting another wedding. 

Paul and Tracy were the wonderful couple I was hired to photograph. They are both actually from London so it was kind of a unique wedding. As you can see from the photos the ceremony was very small, just the closest relatives. I love these intimate weddings as it allows me to focus more on individuals because there are less people then normal.

The ceremony started about 30 minutes after I arrived which gave me a chance to get some preparation shots as well as capture some of the nervous energy. Once the ceremony began, it was very beautiful. You really couldn't ask for a better backdrop then Kakabeka Falls. Plus, it was an absolute gorgeous day for a wedding. 

After the ceremony was over, I quickly grabbed Paul and Tracy and we walked down the boardwalk a bit to focus on some portraits. All in all, we spent about 20 minutes doing so, but came away with a lot of wonderful photos. We then ended with all the family portraits which was very fun as well. Everyone was extremely easy going and just there to have a good time. 

It was a pleasure to meet Paul and Tracy and be a part of their wedding. If you told me I would be photographing a visiting couple from England earlier this year I probably would have laughed. That is why I love wedding photography so much, you just never know who you are going to get the opportunity to photograph!